Wetzel v. Ohio
371 U.S. 62 · Decided November 5, 1962 · Supreme Court of the United States
Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.
At a glance
Wetzel v. Ohio was decided on November 5, 1962 by a vote of 5–4. SCDB codes the disposition as “petition denied or appeal dismissed.” The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “No merits, no substantial federal question” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 371 U.S. 62 · 83 S. Ct. 111 · 9 L. Ed. 2d 26 · 1962 U.S. LEXIS 238
- Docket number
- 200
- Decided
- November 5, 1962
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Petition denied or appeal dismissed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- No merits, no substantial federal question
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Jurisdictional dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Majority |
Full case caption
Wetzel v. Ohio
SCDB identifiers: case 1962-006, docket 1962-006-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “No merits, no substantial federal question”
- Ioannou v. New York
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- Marder v. Massachusetts
- Newsom v. Smyth
- Fairfax Family Fund, Inc. v. California
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- United States v. Haley
- Garvin v. Cochran
- Ioannou v. New York
- Southern Construction Co., Inc. v. Pickard
- Burlington Truck Lines, Inc. v. United States
- Foman v. Davis
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error